Lever-derrick.



No. 658,939. Patented Oct. 2, 1900. J. 'W. BENTON.

LEVER DERRICK. (Application med Feb. 5, 1900.1 J6 (No Modej.) v 2 Sheets- 5 Patented Oct. 2, I900.

J W B E N T 0 N LEVER DERRICK.

{Application filed Feb. 5, 1900.1

2 Sheets-Sheat 2.

(No Model.)

"IHHHHI" IO llln ' f um" NH" [/VVENTOR LNITED STATES PATENT- OFFICE.

JAMES W. BENTON, OF'KINGS STATION, KENTUCKY.

LEVER-DERRICK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 658,939, dated October 2, 1900,

' Application filed February 5, 1900. Serial No 4,044. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES W. BENTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kings Station, in the "county of Estill and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lever-Derricks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in ,devicesfor raising and lowering heavy weights, such as stone or lumber or any other object; and the object is to provide a simple and cheap yet strong and durable device that may be operated with ease and whichshall be portable,'s0 thatit may be readily moved from place to place for in stance, upon a farm, where it may be used for lifting stone, pulling stumps, and the like; also, at railroad-stations for raising articles into the cars or lowering them therefrom,or for various other purposes for which it is adapted.

"Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear, and the novel features thereof will be specifically defined by the appended claims.

The invention is clearlyillustrated in-the accompanying drawings, which,,with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improveddevice shown as in operative position, with astone attached thereto. Fig. 2 is a top plan. Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the elevating-levers and its accessories. Fig. 4 is a detail in vertical section through the bifurcation of one of the levers, with'the gripping-arm and rope in position therein. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a different form. Fig. 6 is a top plan thereof. Fig. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the gripping devices with the separator in position therebetween.' Fig. 8 is a perspective of the end of the separator. Fig. 9 is a vertical longitudinal section through Fig. 7.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring now to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates a base-plate or platform from which rise the two standards or supports B, the upper ends of which in this instance are shown as bifurcated, and within the bifurcations are pivotally mounted on suitable pivots o the levers O, which may be of any required length, and the standards may be of any desired height. The rear or handle ends of these levers are each provided with a laterally-extending projection or pin D, which is designed to be engaged when required, as will be hereinafter explained, with a tooth or notch e of the notched bars E, two in number, one for each lever, as shown, and these bars are each pivoted on an independent pivot F at the lower end, so as to swing independently of each other.

At the forward end of each of the levers 0 there projects at an angle therefrom a bar or arm G, as seen clearly in Figs. 2 and 3, which .bar or arm is rigidw-ith-the lever, and to the outer end thereof is pivotally mounted on a :vertical pivot H a gripping-lever I.

the said slots.

To, each of the gripping-levers, near the outer end of the handle portion thereof, is

pivotally attached upon a vertical pivot j one end of a locking-bar J, which is provided near its free end with a notch K, designed to engage'over a laterally-projecting pin or analogous device L on the side of the lever O for a purpose which will soon be made apparent.

In the outer end of each lever O is a pin or projection M, extending in the general direction of the length of the lever, as shown, and each gripping-lever is preferably provided with a vertical opening N, as seen best in Fig. 4, for the passage of the rope; but this opening may sometimes be dispensed with and the rope passed around the grippinglever; but the presenceiof the opening is desirable.

O and P are the ropes employed in the manner which will now be described.

In operation one end of each of the ropes is socured about the object X to be operated upon and the other end of each rope is put about one of the gripping-levers I. If the hole N is present, the end of the rope is passed downward therethrough, and if the hole is absent the rope is passed over the rear edge of the gripping-lever in a manner which will be readily understood. The gripping-lever is then pushed into the slot of the lever O, the rope being bound top and bottom, as will be readily understood from Figs. 3 and 4, and then by forcing down the rear end of the said lever C the opposite end carrying the rope will be elevated. The locking-bar J is then engaged over the pin L of said lever and the pin D of the lever engaged in one of the notches e of the bar E, which will hold the object in its elevated position. The other rope is then engaged in a similar manner and the gripping-1c ver forced into the bifurcation of the lever G in the same way and the said lever 0 then forced down at its rear end to elevate the object, and after the lever is locked the same Way as the first one, as just described, the first one can be unlocked, the object being firmly held in its raised position by the lastlever which was actuated, and then the rope of the unlocked lever is disengaged by the removal of the gripping-lever from the slot of the lever C and a new hold or bight taken, when the lever is again actuated to further elevate the object, the lever locked, and the other one unlocked, and the operation repeated until the object has been raised the desired distance. The engagement of the notch of the locking-lever over the pin L locks the gripping-lever and its rope in the bifurcation of the lever C so that it cannot become disengaged. When the one lever is raised and locked, the rope of the other hecomes slack, as will be readily understood.

The notched bars E may be arranged at any suitable distance from the uprights B. Other means of locking the levers may be provided and other modifications in detail may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

In Figs. 5 to 9 I have shown another form.

of the invention embodying all the essentials of the form just described, difiering only in the means for gripping the ropes. In this form the levers O are pivoted upon the standards B as before and are shown as provided with a plurality of holes b to provide for adjustment of the fulcrum of the levers as occasion may require. The standard is braced by suitable inclined brace D and when the device is to be used in a position where there is not room for the base the same may be dispensed with and the standard suspended from above by any suitable means. The ropes or wires 0 and P are attached to the weight X to be moved as in the form previously described. The gripping is done by the forward end of the levers in the following manner: Upon the upper face of each lever is arranged the plate or block I held thereto at the inner end by bolts 2, which pass loosely through the plate or block and are held firmly in the end of the lever. This allows the plate or block to move thereupon sufficiently for the purpose required. A guide-bolt j held in the lever and passed loosely through a hole in the plate or block, serves to guide the plate or block in its movements, as will be readily understood. Each plate or block is provided with a hole extending therethrough preferably in an inclined direction, as seen best in Fig. 9, through which the rope passes, and the ropes are guided by suitable means, as the staples e held in the free ends of the plates or blocks, as shown. The operation is practically the same as in the other form. The one lever is lowered to get a fresh bight in the rope, and when the lever is raised the cord is held frictionally between the lever and the plate. When the lever has been raised, it is held as before and then the other lever raised, after which the slack in the fi rst rope is taken up and the operation repeated. A guide-rope T may be employed, as indicated in Fig. 5, held at the lower end in any suitable manner and also at the upper end, being passed through a guide-eye or analogous means Uon the weight or the rope that holds the weight, and in this manner the weight will be guided in its Vertical movement and prevented from contacting with the levers or ropes to tangle the same or interfere in any Way with the succes sful operation of the device.

In order to separate the plate and lever, I employ a bar V, (seen in operative position in Fig. 7,) having at one end a wedge-shaped lateral projection W, adapted to be inserted between the plate or block and lever, as shown in said Fig. 7, to hold the same apart, when the rope may be easily moved either way.

It is evident that Wires or cables may be employed as Well as ropes.

What I claim as new is 1. A device for the purpose described consisting of a pair of alternately-movable levers, a gripping-lever directly pivotally connected with each of said levers, and means for locking the same, as set forth.

2. A device for the purpose described, consisting of a pair of independently-pivoted levers, a gripping-lever pivotally mounted on each of said levers to grip a rope and bind it thereto, means for locking the gripping-lever, and means for locking the pivoted levers in their elevated position, as set forth.

3. In a device of the character described, a base, uprights rising therefrom, a lever pivotally mounted on each upright, and having a bifurcated end, and a gripping-lever pivotally mounted on each lever and constructed to grip a rope in the bifurcation thereof, as set forth.

4.. In a device of the character described, the combination with uprights, levers pivoted thereon, and gripping-levers pivotally mounted on said levers, of means for locking the pivoted levers in their elevated position, and means for locking the gripping-levers, as set forth.

5. In a device of the character described,

the combination of pivotally-mounted levers,

for engaging the notches of the bars, as and for the purpose specified. v 7. The combination of the pivoted levers,

the gripping-levers pivoted thereon, the ropes passed through openings in the gripping-1e vers, the locking-bars pivotally connected with the gripping-levers, and the pivoted notched bars constructed to be engaged by means on the operating-levers, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES W. BENTON.

Witnesses: I

J. E. GREENLEAF, L. J. FRAZEE. 

